SEAMANS NECK PARK JUNE 2021

By LONG ISLAND WINE DAD June 13, 2021

We here on Long Island pay some of the highest taxes and sometimes wonder what we get in return. One place that I can see my tax dollars going, and for a good reason, is the park behind my house. I took an early morning stroll to capture all the pictures before most people showed up as this is a busy and well-used town park. It is well maintained, and except for too many geese sometimes, it is a beautiful place to play. In addition to the Canada Geese are Egrets, Cormorants, and Quaker Parrots. The Parrots are an invasive species, and they have taken over the park, building Parrot Condominiums in most trees and the tops of stadium lamp poles. However, nature does have a way of compensating for this invasion. We now have large blackbirds returning to the park and breaking into the Parrott condos to enjoy some eggs for breakfast. In addition, the raptors are returning, circling overhead, and diving down to capture a green feathered lunch. On one occasion, a large Hawk sat on our back fence, carefully eyeing the dinner menu. It is amazing how large these birds are.

There is a 1 ½ mile trail around the entire park that includes exercise stations. Sometimes you need to look up as seagulls drop clams onto the trail to break them open and eat them, but this adds a bit of charm to the place. The Park has many soccer pitches, baseball fields, lacrosse fields, pee wee baseball fields, kiddie park, and sprinkler pool. There is even a set of solar panels to help offset the administrative offices' power needs. My favorite is the fishing pier which is a great place to catch the sunrise. The Park officially opens about 08:00 AM (but you can walk in sooner) and is usually busy till 9 or 10 at night as most of the fields have lots of lighting. It is a lovely hidden gem on the south shore of Long Island and returning a good value for our tax dollars.